The City of Morthal: An excerpt from “An Explorer’s Guide to Skyrim (2nd ed.)”
Author’s preface: … I have found in my travels that even the most remote and insular places have something to offer. It is the journeying that keeps alive my original love of writing and story-telling. Being able to meet new people of course is a fresh delight…
Morthal is located in a low-lying region of Hjaalmarch Hold. The city is bordered by the Drajkmyr wetlands in the north, and by hilly country in the south. It is presently a “city” in name only. While it might once have had a burgeoning population, Morthal has been dealt a poor hand by fate, when it lost a great number of its young men to the Great War of 4E 171, and has since struggled to recover. Like a once-great warrior who, after a long malaise, discovers he is no longer as hale or that his clothes no longer fit, Morthal has had an uneasy time trying to reconcile its proud heritage with its current predicament.
According to Galfridus Monmettius’ “Historia Regum Caelumrim”, Morthal was named after the Cyrod-Nordic cultural hero, Morihaus Breath-of-Kyne, and may have been located farther south than its current location. In his book, Monmettius chronicles the days of pre-unification Skyrim, and writes that the Jarls were fractious and often warred with each other. The Hjaalmarchers in particular were famed for their fighting prowess and quick tempers, and thus often warred with the neighbouring Holds, earning much territory (and enmity) in the process. Morthal was purportedly originally located near the hills around Rannveig’s Fast, after a particularly successful campaign against Whiterun Hold which saw Hjaalmarch stretching from Folgunthur to Dustman’s Cairn. The Jarl of Markarth eventually betrayed Hjaalmarch, and banded with Whiterun and Falkreath and pushed the Hjaalmarchers back past Cold Rock Pass. Old Morthal was utterly destroyed in the process. According to Monmettius, modern-day Morthal was a former fortress which the Hjaalmarchers adopted as their new capital after these events.
With that history in mind, it would perhaps not be surprising to a traveller to Morthal to find it decorated with severe-looking place stone walls and turrets. The main Imperial road to Morthal approaches the city from the south, which is also where the fortress originally stood, looking out for interlopers from Whiterun and Falkreath before Hjaalmarch’s southward push. Southern Morthal retains much of its original identity as a Hjaalmarcher castle town. These southern districts are dominated by towers, although many of the old castle walls have since been broken down and their stones re-used in the city’s expansion over the years. Here and there a traveller will find a city wall that just fades suddenly into an open space. Apart from being the site of Highmoon Hall (the Jarl’s palace and office), South Morthal is also home to the named warrior families that have lived in Morthal since its founding.
As one proceeds northward into the city, the austere stone carapace of South Morthal gives way to more contemporary-looking dwellings. The Hjaal River separates old and new Morthal, but the two sides of the city are united and held together by the Sheepsway Bridge. North Morthal was raised on different soil, and this is evident in the relative-opulence of the buildings (compared to the harsh turrets and towers of the South) and in the abundance of merchant houses, shopfronts and taverns located in the northern districts.
Much of Morthal’s industry and trade is focused on salt-panning and peat-farming. Northern Hjaalmarch is mainly wetlands, with several inland salt marshes and peat bogs. Peat is regularly burned in Morthallan homes, and if one does not quickly get used to the strong smoky scent of burnt peat in the air one will find the stay in Morthal greatly unpleasant. After salt and peat, sheep and goats are Morthal’s next major industry. Prior to the Great War, a good portion of Skyrim’s wool and mutton came from the hills of southern Hjaalmarch, and Morthal’s export of wool and mutton was second only to Whiterun’s. Unfortunately, according to the locals, the loss of good young men in the Great War meant that Morthal now faces a shortage of shepherds and goat-herders to tend the flocks.
The distillation of Colovian-style whisky is a growing business in Morthal. Morthallan whisky is characterised by a strong smoky flavour, due to the addition of peat in the process. A well-known whisky in the region is the Crimson Bull (which I believe was named after Morihaus), and which I am told will “give me wings”. While I did not spontaneously sprout wings after consuming some of this salty, smoky whisky, it did leave me very light-headed for the night. Crimson Bull is readily available in all of the taverns in Morthal.
Morthallans tend to favour strong robust flavours in their cooking. Due to the cold clammy weather in Hjaalmarch, stews are a particular favourite. Do not forget to try haggis, a savoury pudding made up of sheep offal, which is available in most taverns and inns. While the ingredients do not sound particularly palatable, it has a strong nutty flavour that pairs itself well with the local whisky.
An unexpected, but extremely welcome, aspect of Morthal is the city’s love of stories and epics. Due to its location, Morthal is often shrouded with mist. This lends the city a great air of mystery and wonder, like a half-world emerging from a dream. On cold and foggy nights, Morthallans stumble through the mist into their favourite taverns and listen in rapt attention to well-known epics from the resident skalds. Mummers and puppeteers sometimes also take the stage, enacting tales of bravery and derring-do from ages past. The locals particularly enjoy tales such as “The Sword in the Bough”, “The Bog Queen”, and the multi-part “The Labours of the Winged Bull”, which are repeated to popular acclaim in the taverns and inns.
Morthallans as a people tend to be gruff and insular. While not traditionally welcoming of outsiders, Morthal does not however actively discourage visitors, and the locals can be friendly and generous after one buys a round or two. However, do not ever (under any circumstances) call a Morthallan a “mud-eater” or “sheep-lover”, as these epithets are surefire ways to start fights (as I have witnessed from time to time).
Notable locations and events:
Moorside Inn is an establishment located in North Morthal. The food and drink are good but the inn is fairly shabby. It is recognisable by the stilts it sits on at the edge of a moor that overlooks the Hjaal River. Despite its relatively remote location, it is a popular destination for the locals, who flock to the inn every evening for the local skald. Called “the Wanderer” by the locals (with great ironic humour), the skald Talsgar has been resident in the Moorside Inn for the past two years. He has an excellent stage presence and melodious speaking voice. According to Talsgar, he hopes to one day live up to the moniker of “the Wanderer” and roam Skyrim learning about the places in the stories he now orates. Those interested in epic tales and great showmanship should come quickly before Talsgar finally works up the effort to live his dream.
The Broken Tower Distillery in South Morthal, producer of the Crimson Bull whisky, offers daytime visits and tours for a whisky-appreciating traveller. According to the owners, the distillery is named after the Tower of the Bull, a great watchtower which purportedly stood on that very site before it was struck down by fire from the skies. The owners also offer a discount on their whisky if one wishes to buy it in bulk. The discount only applies to whisky being purchased directly from the distillery.
Alternatively, travellers may wish a more informal tour through Hjaal Bay Distillery, which is an up-and-coming whisky distillery located in North Morthal. The owners are a young married couple, Hroggar and Helgird, who have grand plans for their Morthallan whisky. Hroggar is a cheerful and friendly young man who is effusive and loves talking about his whisky, and offers free samples of the whisky for tasting.
Travellers to Morthal in midsummer should stay for the Run of the Herds, a grand event where sheep and goats are led and herded from the hills of southern Hjaalmarch through Morthal, over Sheepsway Bridge, and into the pens located in the north of the city for shearing and butchering. This was an event that was historically instituted by the Jarls of Morthal, who did so to keep track of the sheep and goat flocks in the region (as the Hold’s wealth depended significantly on them). Nowadays, the Jarl’s presence is largely symbolic. Bold locals or travellers may sometimes break through the fences and run alongside the herds, although one should be careful as casualties and injuries are not unheard of.